


Drops of Heleus

by amassingeffect (Furorscribiendi)



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Mild Language
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2019-06-06
Packaged: 2019-08-17 08:32:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 19,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16512881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Furorscribiendi/pseuds/amassingeffect
Summary: Sanaa Ryder is the new Pathfinder for the Andromeda Initiative. She's got a ship, a crew of sorts and like the saying says, "Fake it 'til you make it." It's that last one that feels like the sticking point. Good thing her crew's at the top of their game. Well, usually.Assorted ficlets between the Tempest crew, some featuring my main Ryder, Sanaa.





	1. Rites

**Author's Note:**

> I did this for Fictober 2018 and only got halfway through. Such is life. But definitely gonna finish this off before 2019 rolls around. They are not in any sort of chronological order, and the chapters notes specify when in the timeline they take place if events are referenced. The tags will be updated as ficlets are added. 
> 
> The Day 1 prompt was: "Can you feel this?"
> 
> This ficlet takes place a few hours after you gain control of the Tempest and leave the Nexus for Eos.

“SAM, how long until we arrive at Eos?”

“ _Approximately a full day._ ” SAM paused for a moment. “ _You do require rest before making planetfall, Sanaa._ ”

Sanaa didn’t say anything for a moment as the bridge door closed. Her… quarters were just below. It was still hard to shake the thought that it actually hers, not her father's. “I’ll just walk around the cargo bay for a bit. Thanks though SAM.”

“ _Perhaps you should speak to Dr T’Perro about your sleeplessness?_ ”

“I’ll try the walk first. Slept more than enough on the way to Andromeda.” She muttered dryly as she started down the ladder. 

“ _As you wish._ ”

It would be the logical choice, Sanaa mused as she reached the bottom and started for the cargo bay. Go see the doc and get something prescribed. But honestly, so many things were running through her mind, she didn’t know where to start. 

She was the Pathfinder now and the Nexus had been a simmering hotbed of expectation once word got around. And it got around quick. So hey no pressure, they were running out of food, water and power and needed to get six worlds habitable for at least 100,000 people. Not to mention, hey, while you’re at it, find the turian, salarian and asari arks.

No. Fucking. Pressure.

Sanaa sagged against a storage crate, eyes feeling weary and gritty as she rubbed the heels of her hand against them. She was so close to being a fucking mess and honestly it felt like it was choking her already. The one person she could really talk about this with was in a coma back on the Hyperion and everything rested on her shoulders.

… This was too damned much, seriously why did her dad think she was the best choice. It should have been Cora, who mentored and worked side by side with him. Cora was always ready, got shit done and could handle anything thrown her way. Sanaa honestly felt like she was twisting in the wind, trying to fill shoes she had no hope of ever filling.

And her dad… holy shit, her dad... 

She leaned against a storage crate, just trying to keep her breathing steady. In and out, in and out.

“Fuck!” the expletive closely followed the clang of a fallen wrench .

It felt like a hasty struggle to pull herself together. But she followed the sounds to find Liam tucked around the stack of storage crate, shaking his hand as he glared at his jetpack. Judging from the scattered tools, he’d been working on it.

“Oh hey, you’re up late.” Liam flashed her a grin.

“Could say the same.” Sanaa hoped she sounded steadier than she felt, leaning against the crates. 

Liam shrugged. “Want this baby up and running for when we reach Eos. It took a hit when I smashed into a boulder.”

Habitat 7. Sanaa nodded, quiet for a few minutes as she looked at it. Liam was peering at her when she finally met his gaze. “You were there when I woke up in SAM node.”

“Yeah. Wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“Thanks for checking on Scott,” silence fell and Sanaa felt like the words were burning, she just had to get them out. “Please tell me how my dad died.”

Suddenly, Liam was rubbing at the back of his head and looking very unsure. The one thing everyone skated around and didn’t tell her about. They'd talk about anything else but that. He was drumming his fingers on the top of the storage crate and Sanaa suddenly felt sick and angry. Couldn’t get a honest answer from Cora for all she had tried and Liam looked like he was trying to think of a suitable excuse. Fucking great.

“Forget I asked.” Sanaa bit the words out as she pushed off from the crates to leave. 

“No, it’s just—” Liam followed after her, looking certain now. “Lexi asked us to not tell you. Said it would be undue stress and—”

“Undue stress?!” Sanaa sputtered. “Nobody will tell me shit and all Harry told me is that he died a hero’s death. But that’s a fucking lie because I nearly died and…” she could still recall the bitter thin air that burned as she choked in lungfuls, hoping for oxygen that wasn’t there. Her father couldn’t have died a hero if— 

“You’re sure you want to know?” Liam was watching her carefully now. 

Sanaa nodded, meeting his gaze straight on. “Please tell me.”

Liam let loose an explosive breath, as if steeling himself. “It wasn’t pretty. When we got to the pick-up site, Alec was already dead. Asphyxiation due to lack of oxygen. You were convulsing and Harry says that if it wasn’t for SAM you’d be dead. Hell, you legit died on Habitat 7. Longest twenty-two seconds of my life, let me tell you,” he paused, rubbing at the back of his neck with a pensive expression. “They managed to revive you, but it was touch and go especially with your SAM implant. It was like, super juiced up, we had to hardline connect you to SAM to handle it properly. That’s why I was there when you woke up; figured you shouldn’t wake up alone and nothing else was gonna happen to you on my watch, not if I could help it.”

Sanaa nodded. “Okay… and… um… his body?”

“We brought him back with us. It’s in the morgue on the Hyperion.”

“Okay. Okay. That’s…” Sanaa found her voice caught in her throat.

“Hey, your dad died,” Liam offered her a handkerchief from somewhere. “You don’t have to be the Pathfinder right now, you know.”

Sanaa opened her mouth to say something but all that came out was a little choked sound and oh God, her eyes were watering and she needed that handkerchief. Right this second. She took it from him as the tears spilled and she couldn’t mop them up fast enough. There were little hiccuping sounds and seriously was that her right now? Shit, she was crying her damn face off in front of her crisis specialist. 

Which, in a weird sort of way, maybe wasn’t the worst thing? Warm arms wrapped around her, a solid bulk in front of her and she realised Liam was hugging her. 

“Yeah, I know. Been a really rough first few days in Andromeda.”

And wasn’t that the fucking truth of it. She gave a shaky laugh, wiping at her eyes and nose before sniffling out, “Understatement.”

“But hey, we kinda fixed one world. We can do it again on the next one, but not get blasted by a blue cloud. And your brother will bounce back in no time, yeah?”

“That’s what Harry said,” Sanaa sniffed again, blinking away the fresh tears as she slowly inhaled. 

“Okay, you hang tight here for a moment.” Liam pulled away, heading up the ramp towards crew quarters.

Sanaa watched as he left. Once the door closed after him, she took in all the tools and such scattered on top of the storage crate.

“SAM, does Kosta have an assigned workspace.”

“ _Negative. However, the auxiliary lower storage room is available. Do you wish to assign it to him?_ ”

“Yes, thank you SAM.”

“ _You’re welcome Sanaa._ ”

Sanaa sniffled as she gathered up the tools and such, taking them into the room. It was pretty bare and empty, with only a screen on the wall by the door and a decent sized workbench through the middle of the room. The muted blue glow of the ODSY drive came through the window and even Sanaa had to admit it was cozy. She brought in the jetpack and tools, resting them on the work bench before dragging in a storage crate to sit on.

The handkerchief was crumpled in her fidgeting fingers when Liam finally came back with a small bottle of something and two cups. 

“SAM said you assigned me this room?” Liam sounded confused as he entered.

“You don’t want a room all to yourself?” Sanaa wished her laugh didn't sound so pitchy.

“No no, not complaining.” Liam came over the the storage crate and perched on the edge. “Hey SAM, if Ryder gets absolutely pissed, how quick can you get her fighting ready again?”

“ _In approximately two minutes._ ”

“And we reach Eos in…”

“ _Approximately 23 hours and 30 minutes._ ”

“Sounds like a plan.” Liam handed her a cup before holding his between his knees and cracking open the bottle. “Now, they told me this was booze. Wanna find out?”

“Wait, wait, wait, what is happening?” Sanaa looked at the cup in confusion and then Liam.

“We’re having a wake.” Liam said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

Sanaa laughed but she ended it by biting her lip and inhaling slowly. “A wake, seriously?”

“Yeah, seriously. One where you don’t have to be all, you know, professional for appearance sake.”

“Oh,” well, when he put it like that… “There’s no casseroles.”

"What?" Liam laughed, shaking his head in mock outrage. “I manage to get bottle of this fine, questionable alcohol from somewhere, share it with you in this trying time and you’re complaining about a lack of casserole?”

Sanaa snorted as Liam filled her cup. “Wakes always have way too much casserole. There were so many at Mom’s. We ate casserole for nearly a month and a half 'cause Dad wasn't the best at cooking. Scott can’t see one with getting a pissy look.”

That made Liam laugh. “How pissy are we talking?”

“Like he wants to set it on fire. Hell, once he Threw one across the room. Splatted on the wall, Dad was not impressed.”

“Two biotic kids?” Liam shook his head. “Man, I don’t know how your parents did it. I mean, I was a little shit disturber as a kid. If I had biotics, I think my mum would have pulled her hair out in frustration. I’d’ve done shit like try to fly.”

Sanaa laughed, picturing a small Liam causing biotic mayhem. “Bet your mom was a saint.”

“You know it.” Liam grinned. “So what exactly was your dad like? Cause when I interviewed for this position, he half scared the shit out of me.”

“Yeah, he could be like that.” Sanaa smiled sadly. "But he knew so much."

She couldn’t even say how much time passed. They just slowly sipped at their cups, periodically refilling them and talking about any and everything. How Alec would take her and Scott out camping in the Sierra Nevada, for family time and also to impart some of his impressive knowledge. The trips had dropped off when he reached N7 - so many classified missions - but increased a bit when he became a military attache on the Citadel and she and Scott could manage to schedule time off together. As the years passed, the camping trip became replaced with visits to Ellen whenever they had leave, since Alec was always busy with something. Then the devastating news of Ellen’s terminal disease, that seemed to push Alec away as it drew her, Scott and Ellen closer.

There was something cathartic to just spilling her guts with Liam like this. Hell, he said it: she wasn’t the Pathfinder now. She was just Sanaa Ryder, grieveing her deceased father and letting go of some of her worries and burdens too. Liam listened, talked and kept their cups full. The booze wasn’t quite terrible, but it was adequate enough. It left her feeling warm and pleasantly… floaty. And her tongue was feeling looser than she usually let it be.

“I don’t know. Me being Pathfinder feels like a really big mistake.”

Liam shook his head. “No, no, nope,” he slowly reached for her hand and pressed it to her chest. “Feel that? So long as that beats in my chest, I know you’re gonna do your damnedest to get the job done.”

Sanaa looked down, his hand pressing her own hand to her chest. She let loose a ‘pfft’ that shifted into laughter as she put down her cup and pressed her hand to his chest. It took a moment before she felt the sure, steady thump-thump of his heart.

“Oh, that heart.” She hiccuped.

“Hm?” Liam looked down at his chest, then at her. “Shit, how’d I get that backwards? No wait, did I? Damn, whatever booze this is, it's good.”

Sanaa toppled over, giggling helplessly. After the fit of laughter subsided and she sat up again, she sighed, “This was an excellent idea, Liam. I enjoyed this. The last part and drinking.” Though, speaking of… she sat back up, drained her cup and held it out. “Fill ‘er up.”

“Last one for the road,” Liam sloshed the bottle before pouring it out to the last few drops. “Want a walk home?”

“My quarters are literally straight down the hall.” Sanaa watched as he got to his feet, swaying a bit. “Do you need a walk home?”

“Mmm, yes please.” Liam snickered. “If-If Cora tries to yell at me, maybe you can do some Pathfinder thing?”

“Nuh-uh. She’ll... oh,she'll probably yell at me too.” Sanaa got to her feet and shit, everything was moving alright. “Jesus Kosta, what the hell did you get us to drink?”

“Booze, it fit the bill.” Liam weaved over, looping their arms together. “Catch me if I fall.”

“I’ll probably join you on the floor.” Sanaa laughed, pulling herself up.

They slowly made their way from the storage room, up the ramp to the crew quarter doors and thankfully Cora was nowhere to be seen. The room was dim and quiet. There was just the soft sounds of Vetra fast asleep in her bunk. Sanaa managed to yank the covers back before she tumbled Liam into his bed, thought she half fell in herself. She managed to get his legs under the blankets and half pulled them up.

“That was nice…” Liam mumbled into his pillow. “Next week?”

Before Sanaa could even say anything, he was out cold and face slack with sleep. Sanaa stifled a giggle, carefully making her way through the crew bathroom. When the door opened, she could see right into the galley, where Cora was leaning against the wall, with a cup of something warm in hand.

“Ryder, good.” She approached her, nose wrinkling as she caught a whiff of the fumes. “Why do you smell like… vodka?”

Sanaa blinked, trying to recall. Most she remembered Liam and talking, the booze was just... “Didn’t taste like vodka. Just tasted like booze.”

“You’ve been drinking?” Cora’s disapproval was thick.

“Mmm-hm,” Sanaa nodded as she opened her door. “And since I’m going to bed, I’ll make this perfectly clear: whatever you’re about to yell at me about, do it tomorrow.”

All she heard was Cora’s inhale to say something before her quarter doors closed. Sanaa stripped off as headed for the bed, a trail of clothes left in her wake. She was out like a light as soon as she hit the sheets.


	2. In Theory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2 & 3 prompts: “People like you have no imagination” and "How can I trust you?"
> 
> Takes place after the post-Eos debrief.

Some kind soul had managed to find Blast-Ohs. A galaxy away, and that cereal was the best thing he laid eyes on right now. He ripped open the box, pouring some out. 

“Are those—” 

The eagerness in Cora’s voice was easy to hear. “On it.” he pulled down a bowl and started filling it up for her. The carton of milk was rested on the countertop and honestly, 600 years later there was milk? Liam was not gonna question it too much so long as it was edible and didn’t kill him. On it went as he grabbed spoon and before long they were leaning against the counter munching away. It was only when they were halfway through that Cora spoke again.

“Feel better now?”

“Oh my God, you have no idea. Could have eaten a horse, I was that hungry.”

Cora gave a soft chuckle. “Don’t roll up to breakfast hungover.”

“I know, I know.” Liam shovelled in another spoonful.

Cora had decided to corner both him and Ryder at the same time in the morning. How it was irresponsible to let themselves get to that state en route to a mission. Sanaa had let Cora talk before shrugging. _‘Was it professional? No. Do I regret it? No. We don’t know when this all will actually end, so when else am I suppose to grieve?'_ Cora’s silence had let Ryder grab her protein bars and leave to suit up. Liam couldn’t even think about food then. He had just chugged some water, took a piss and then they were on a planet that was doing it’s best to fry them. A thoughtful sound from Cora made him look over.

“Do you think Vetra could find some more of these?”

“What,” he chuckled. “Survive mission, not wind up dead, get Blast-Ohs?” 

“… It’s not the worst thing. Besides, it tastes a hell of a lot better than some of those energy bars. How does Ryder eat those?”

“Cast iron stomach?” Liam shrugged. “Pretty sure if I had biotics, I’d be an absolute tank like you two.”

“I wouldn’t say I was a tank,” Cora ate another quick spoonful. “Careful strategies and tactics.”

“That’s what you call it?” Liam snorted. “Seriously, you Charge into everything and shoot it in the face. Ryder charges in and makes it all go boom.” Liam asked once he swallowed. “You do that like, all the time. Why not mix it up?”

“Because it’s a sound and useful tactic, one the kett haven’t seen before. I charge in, start shooting it makes them panic into makin mistakes. Then Ryder just charges into the stragglers, sends them flying and mops up after the confusion.”

“People like you have no imagination.”

Liam looked up to see Drack leaning on the galley doorway. Everything about Nakmor Drack was huge and a bit on the bristly side. Hell, Liam had never seen a krogan with that many chin spikes before. Not to mention one with so many bones decorating their armour. Drack’s black-yellow eyes watched them both and Liam could just hear Cora straightening up beside him. How that was possible…

“Uh huh,” oh Liam had heard that particular polite tone before. Usually from his mum when he was treading into dangerous waters. A glance at Cora showed a steely look in her blue eyes. “How do I have no imagination exactly?”

Drack gave a grunt as he shoved off from the doorway and settled in the seat. “This guy has grenades. Grab one from him, shove it down a kett throat and them lob it back into a clump of them. When the grenade goes off, guaranteed chaos.”

Liam couldn’t help but snort into his cereal. Raining guts and body parts would probably make anyone panic. Well, maybe any species but turians. For a moment, Cora didn’t say anything, just tapping her finger against her spoon handle.

“I don’t have your upper body strength. And those kett with the heavy assault rifle would probably need two or three grenades.”

“What, can’t Throw with those fancy biotics of yours?” Drack snorted.

“No, it’s more the logistics of getting the grenades in those big ketts. And no Liam, that doesn’t mean you and Ryder have to give it a go.”

“What?” Liam held up the spoon like it was a white flag. “I never said I would.”

“I could feel you thinking it.”

Goddamn, Cora was kinda scary like his mum. Just… knowing things. But now Cora turned her attention back to Drack.

“And you… I’m not too sure what to make of you. I mean, sure you helped us out down there on Eos. But how do we know you’re going to stick around for long? What’s the point?”

The silence that fell was heavy. Liam did have to give it to Cora, she had balls of brass alright. Drack’s eyes narrowed before he gave a deep laugh.

“You want to know how you can trust me? It works both ways you know. Prove you guys won’t screw me over and maybe I’ll put in a good word for you in places,” approval gleamed in Drack’s eyes. “You may not got imagination but you sure got a big as hell quad.”

“Uh, thanks, I think.”

“Besides, haven’t you guys noticed yet? The kett can’t get this Remnant crap to actually work. And judging from what Peebee told me, Ryder is the only person that seems to use it easily. You better believe someone is gonna notice that at some point. So I’ll stick with her, there’ll be plenty of good fights to come.”

“Because that’s not ominous.” Cora sighed. “I’m going to go check in with Ryder, see if I can give her a hand on the Nexus when we dock.”

Cora took her bowl with her as she left, Drack grumbling about the Nexus or something. Liam settled for finishing off his bowl of sugary goodness. He was down to his last few bites when he felt eyes on him. Sure enough Drack was eyeing him.

“What?”

“I know you got plenty of imagination. And ammo. What do you do exactly?”

“Nothing much. Run security, try to liase between people to smooth communication with anyone I can. Supplies, munitions, whatever I can.”

Drack gave a dry snort. “Don’t trust Vetra?”

“I never said that. But never hurts to have two sets of eyes on something.”

“So you handle the stuff the Pathfinder doesn’t want to do? Eh, could be worse things to do.”

“You know, when you put it like that, it really sounds like a shit job,” Liam shook his head. “But Ryder’s handling it. I mean, she deals with the Directors,” he nodded in agreement at the disgusted grunt Drack gave. “So yeah, I’ll handle whatever I can for the Pathfinder before she has to worry about it. ‘Cause I would be way worse at dealing with Tann and Addison.”

“Trust me, no krogan wants anything to do with those two.” Drack got up and stretched, parts of him creaking and popping. “I’m gonna find a spot to bunk down in, those things you call beds are too damned small.”

“Wait, before you go, you gotta tell me: how do you get the grenade in the kett?”


	3. Onboarding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 4 & 5: "Will that be all?" and "Take what you need."
> 
> This takes places right after Aya when you get Jaal on the team.

The alien was staring at him. Jaal wasn’t too sure what to make of it, so he took the time to study her carefully. Actually properly look at her. When the alien had landed with her ship on fire, Evfra had sent him down to get a good look. 

It wasn’t good enough to make sense of what he was seeing. Even after the mess with Kadara, Jaal didn’t think he’d ever quite get over how strange these assorted aliens from the Milky Way were.

Humans were the strangest of the bunch. At least with the others, some features gave a bit of familiarity. The bent angles of turian and salarian legs, the rise of asari crests like a pale imitation of angaran hoods. But humans were so varied. Three humans on this crew and none of them looked remotely similar. 

Sanaa Ryder. That was the name of this alien, with her strangely skinny arms and legs, straight as a pin and bendable in two fragile spots. The necks of these species were was really stumped him. So slender and fragile holding their heads up…

But still, Jaal had to admit, there was something compelling about Sanaa Ryder. Perhaps it was the ease with which she met his gaze, cool responses measured and professional. Her eyes were a dark brown, almost a match to her skin and the strange fringe on her head was neatly styled down, not like the riot of fringe on Liam Kosta’s head or how Cora Harper’s stayed flat so much.

The meeting had just finished and had been a disaster for her. This was clearly Ryder’s first command. There was no way Evfra would have tolerated that amount of dissention during a debriefing.

And she was still staring. He cleared his throat politely, hoping to get her attention. Seconds passed and she still was distracted. 

“Ryder, will that be all?” Jaal tried a bit forcefully.

“Hm?” that seemed to shake her out of it. “Oh, yes, sorry Jaal. I was just wondering something…”

“About what exactly?” with how she was staring, some questions about his appearance were sure to be forthcoming.

Now, she was giving him a curious expression as if that was not what she thought his response would be. He didn’t have a chance to say anythign though, as she turned to the holodisplay, punching something into the console. The two planets came up again. Havarl and Voeld. Two places that these aliens had hoped to settle. Jaal truly hoped they would not press the issue too much. The last thing the angara needed was more strife and another enemy to contend with. Ryder drummed her fingers against the display, her full lips pinched in as her brow creased.

“How long ago was the Moshae taken?”

Ah, this was more like the Ryder he witnessed on Aya. Assessing, thinking, planning… “We estimate it to be about two weeks ago. The source was reluctant so say precisely when.”

Ryder nodded. “I’m trying to understand better, so bear with me. The Moshae seems to be much more to the anagra than Evfra says.”

“You are right about that,” there was no faulting her observational skills. “The Moshae is one of our most brilliant minds. She teaches young and old alike about much. To lose her…”

For a long moment, Ryder was silent before she softly said, “It would be too great a loss to your people.”

All Jaal could do was nod. They needed to get the Moshae back as soon as possible. If she disappeared to the kett and was never found… the morale of his people would be deeply hurt.

“Okay, she zoomed in on Havarl, letting the holo rotate slowly. “Is there anyway we can get some datafeeds from Havarl, if your people allow it? Try to keep tabs on it so we can go if something critical happens?”

“I can ask. You wish to go to Voeld first?”

Watching her now, Jaal could see the resolve and determination firmly in place. Perhaps once Ryder grew accustomed to her command, she would be less unsure when holding debriefings.

“Going to Voeld first makes sense. If the Moshae has been taken for at least two weeks, then we need to assume we have to get her out of there sooner rather than later. It’s a win-win for me: rescue the Moshae and kick some kett in the fucking face,” her voice went a bit low and angry, promising pain. “But I’m just worried that if the researchers on Havarl need help sooner rather than later, I’d like for them to have some way to reach me.”

“I have been to Havarl, threee weeks ago. I do think the researchers will be fine while we are on Voeld. I shall inquire about a status update while we are enroute, if that will suffice.”

“It’s a start. Now, I don’t want to sound too forward since I know you said you were bringing some of your own supplies, but I asked Bosan about what additional supplies the Resistance has for their operatives. He sent along a crate and said you’d know what to do with it and what I think is also a bed?”

Jaal didn’t know why she was asking him, he hadn’t seen it yet. But he was surprised by her thoughtfulness. “Oh. Thank you, Ryder.”

She gave a little shrug and smile, white teeth brilliant against the dark purple of her lips. “I wasn’t too sure where you wanted to bunk down, so I put it in the tech lab for now, if that’s alright with you.”

“That is fine. However, where is the tech lab?”

“Yes, right. Showing you where that is would help.”

Ryder shook her head with a laugh, gesturing for him to follow. He came, a half step behind her, down the curve of the ramp to the lower level. Through the large rotating holo, he could see Vetra typing something into a console and Liam at another console off to the side, close to a set of doors. The same doors they were headed to. Liam just glanced their way once, eyes assessing before he looked back to what he was doing. Jaal was sure if he looked back, he would see Vetra doing the same.

At least this crew was ready if things went bad.

Cool air enveloped them as they walked in. Jaal could see his supplies stacked there as well as the additional items from Bosan. It was indeed a bed and Jaal couldn’t deny that he was eager to look in the crate now.

“This will be fine," he surveyed the room, taking in drawers and muted consoles. “What precisely is this room for?”

“Building and testing new equipment. You may have people wanting to access it from time to time, but I’ll work out a schedule around your sleep habits once you’ve established them. For now, just get settled in and people can use the research console outside.”

“You’re… very accomodating.” Jaal finally said as he slowly turned his gaze to her. 

Her gaze met his, unflinching. “You’re part of the team. It’s now my responsibility to make sure you’re not lacking anything. Just take what you need and let me know if you need anything. And I’m sure Lexi will find you at some point, so make sure to stop by the infirmary when you can.”

The infirmary?! “I’m not ill.”

“It’s routine and mandatory. She’ll just check you over, make sure you’re not allergic to anything,” suddenly a grin came to her face and a twinkle to her eye. “I don’t want to call Evfra and tell him you died becaue you tried a strawberry and it turned out to be poisonous to anagara.”

“Point taken. I shall go within the day.” 

Sanaa's smile remained. “Just settle in and get comfortable. I’m going to go set our destination, so you have plenty of time. I’ll let you know when we’re three hours out from Voeld.”

This was honestly more than Jaal ever really thought to expect from an alien who crash landed on Aya. While he was now cautiously optimistic, he could express some measure of gratitude.

“Ryder?” the serious way he said her name made the smile vanish. “Thank you for taking this matter seriously.”

For a moment, Ryder looked surprised at this but she smiled again, softer this time but the sincerity was plain as day. “You’re welcome Jaal. We’ll do our best to get the Moshae back.”


	4. Throwdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 6: "I've heard enough. This ends now."
> 
> Post _High Noon_ , but no spoilers. TW for: hate speech, usage of slurs for turian and asari.

For someone she saw around the ship often, Vetra was finding it extraordinarily difficult to find Peebee. She’d looked in the usual spots, even the escape pod, was near to utter confusion. The Tempest wasn’t that big a ship, how was one person so difficult to find? 

The echo of voices had her heading to the galley. When she got down the ladder, there was Gil, Cora and Drack all looking expectantly at her.

“Seen Peebee around?” maybe they had better luck than her.

Heads were shaken and Cora suggested, “Try the message board? Seems to be the easiest way to get a hold of her.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Vetra gave a little wave as she headed for her office. 

She’d just send off the message and hopefully Peebee wouldn’t show up in the middle of something. Last time, she’d strolled in while Vetra had been making careful insinuations to a shady asshole. She’d never shoved anyone out of a room so fast in her life. 

What she was not expected was to find Peebee slouched in her chair, feet up on the desk.

“I was here five minutes ago, where did you come from?” Vetra exclaimed. 

Peebee slid off the chair, rolling and rocking on her feet. “Oh, from somewhere. Keeping busy with projects and such.”

“Well, I have your tools,” Vetra headed over to a crate and dug around before pulling out the locked case. “Precision biotic powered tools along with maginfying eyepiece.”

“Oh, you’re the best!” Peebee took it, excitement making her giddy. “Been needing a new eyepiece too, how’d you know?”

Vetra shrugged, trying to fight her grin. “Came with it, like I’d turn away something free.”

“When you say free, was it ‘free’ or ‘free free’?” Peebee eyed the package suspiciously.

“Free free,” Vetra laughed. “Can I be a little bit curious and ask what your new project is? Ryder loved your last one.”

“Course she did, Poc is that awesome. Tell you what, if my new project pans out, you get first look.”

“Well I can’t say no to that. Bet it’s got something to do with Remtech, doesn’t it?”

Peebee just gave a little smirk, thoughtfully drumming a few fingers against the tool case. “You should come with me tonight to Vortex. I’m checking out an angaran poetry reading.”

For a moment, all Vetra could do was stare. That was definitely a blindside swipe. She cleared her throat before slowly nodding her head. “Okay… for some reason that’s not what I thought you’d say.”

The grin on Peebee’s face widened. “What did you think I’d say?”

“Honestly? Something entirely inappropriate and something that would wind up with us trying to avoid Nexus security.”

“No no, I can always do that later. Just you me, some drinks and some interesting new poetry. Girls night out, whaddya say?”

A night out did sound kind of nice. Plus, who was she kidding, Peebee practically begging with those big ol’ green eyes? It reminded her too much of Sid and Vetra folded faster that she would ever admit.

“Just a drink and some angaran poetry, right?”

“And maybe a new drink. Ryder’s been bringing stuff back to Dutch for awhile now, and he’d cooked up some new dextro thing,” Peebee raised her brows and somehow that grin got wider. “You game?”

Seriously, there was no way Vetra could say no. “So a drink and angaran poetry reading. There could be worse ways to spend the night.”

“Yeah, you could be looking at a dead body on Kadara,” Peebee exclaimed as she danced away. “This is gonna be great, I’ll come get you around eight-ish!”

Vetra couldn’t even get a word in anyhow, Peebee already out the office and the door already closing. Though, honestly, what hell did eight-ish mean anyhow?

_________________________________________________________________

Angaran poetry was good. Really, really good. Peebee sure knew how to pick them. With the dim lights of Vortex, the music muted to a throb that was felt more than heard and the burr of that angaran voice turning words into a soothing lull that spellbound the crowd…

More anagaran poerty nights needed to be a thing.

Plus, whatever it was that Dutch concocted her drink from, it was fantastic. A little bit sour and sweet by turns, it reminded her a bit of avahe fruit from Palaven.

A nudge at her elbow made her look over to see Peebee smiling at her with a raised brow. _Having a good time?_ Vetra grinned and raised a thumb. _Hell yeah!_ She turned her attention back to the stage, but her eye caught the sullen gaze of a man the next table over. He gave a sneer and sharp worry stabbed through her. Nope, she came out here to have a good time and hang out with Peebee. She would not even think about— 

“Yeah, look away skull-face.”

Deep breath, don’t look over, do no engage, do not look back to see that the asshole was fucking smirking, oh hell no.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that.” Vetra quietly said as she turned to face the man.

“Just go back to your tentaclehead, skull-face.”

Vetra did like to think of herself as a calm and reasonable person. But when she glanced over at Peebee and saw that she had gone unusually quiet and was trying to look anywhere else…

“Yeah, I've heard enough. This ends now, time to clear out for the night.” 

Peebee looked startled now along with a few other patrons as Vetra stood up, walked over and hauled the guy up to his feet. The anagaran on stage looked surprised and that’s how Vetra caught a fist right on her cheekplate. She dropped the guy, swearing for a moment before she was swinging in a punch from pure instinct. Then the next thing she knew there was yelling and chaos erupted inside of Vortex.

Someone tugged on her hand and when she turned to let them have it, she found Peebee tilting her head to the exit. Vetra didn’t need to be told twice. She let Peebee naviagte them out from the chaotic fight, out into the cool quiet of the night cycle. It was only when they were up at the apartments that Peebee stopped. Vetra leaned against the wall, wincing as she moved her mandible. That was gonna smart for a day or so, that asshole really got her good. When she looked up Peebee was staring at her. 

After a few more seconds, Vetra finally asked, “What?”

“I heard what that guy said.” Peebee said quietly.

Now Vetra found herself staring. “You can’t let people say shit like that!”

“I know, I know…” Peebee slouched against the wall beside her. “If he was gonna shoot me or something, that I could handle. Insults…”

“Spirits, he called you…” Vetra took a deep breath, exhaling sharply from her nose. “You shouldn’t take that from anyone. Ever.”

“Well…” Peebee drawled. “From where I’m sitting, you basically punched out a mouthy human for me. Gotta say Vetra, you did not strike me as the type to just throw down like that.”

Vetra shrugged, letting it slide. Pushing Peebee for info never went well. But she was willing to bet something happened in the asari’s past that left enough scars.

“You know how it is sometimes: you just gotta punch a mouthy asshole.”

Peebee’s laughter did make Vetra feel a bit better. They stood there for a moment and it was when they heard new sounds and steps running to Vortex that Peebee moved to peer over the railing before looking back. 

“How about we vanish while they’re conveniently busy?”

“I’m all for that. I gotta figure out how to explain this to Ryder.”

“Twenty creds says she’s all serious about it and then makes life hell for that guy.”

They made their way down the left staircase, and Vetra bit back a curse when she recognized the familiar green glow of Kandros’ armour. It stood out like a sore thumb in the dim light. Peebee glanced at her, motioning to the other side. They could try to go around, hopefully evade Kandros. But enough people had looked their way, seen what had happened. It would come back to them when the dust settled and being summoned to Security and dealing with who knows whatever they heard…

No, best to get in front of it now. Less damage control that way later. Vetra shook her head and started purposefully down the steps. 

“No!” Peebee hissed in exasperation. “Goddess save me, turian honour!”

Vetra glanced back, winking at Peebee before she looked to find Kandros watching them approach.

“Evening. You two wouldn’t happen to know anything about the brawl in Vortex, would you?”

“Sure do,” Vetra saw the surprise for a moment in Kandros’ eyes. “Some idiot called me skullface and her a tentaclehead. I was just gonna take him outside, you know, to clear his head, but he decided to punch first. So I figured, might as well settle things. I couldn’t tell you when the brawling actually started. I mean, this isn’t Kadara Port.”

Kandros gave a heavy sigh, pulling up his omni-tool. “Are you shipping out with the Pathfinder soon?”

“Nah. Shore leave for 48 hours. Still have a day after the night cycle.”

Kandros nodded, shifting his attention to Peebee. “You’re very quiet Miss B’Sayle. Anything to add?”

“Oh, I fully support what Vetra said. I did hear him say that. But, uh, I really couldn’t say who started the brawl.”

“Do either of you wish to press verbal assault charges?””

“Uh…” 

Peebee sounded a bit like she was floundering, so Vetra stepped right in.

“Kandros, listen, it’s been a long night for us. We just got in from a hell of a time on Kadara and we just wanted some time to unwind and then this happened. Just give us the night to sleep on it and we’ll decide in the morning.”

“Of course. We’ll have a bunch of hotheads sleeping it off in security, but we’ll still need you to ID the person who started it all. Come by at 0800 and you can ID the person and decide then.”

There was sometime to the way Kandros was treating this, just so matter of fact like it was nothing new. Vetra felt like she had to ask, “Uh, I don’t mean to pry, cause I have this plate to ice, but do brawls usually happen in Vortex now?”

“People are waking up from cryo really cranky and not like themselves—” a loud crash from inside Vortex caught Kandros’ attention and had him heading for the door. “Ladies.”

“Vetra,” Peebee drawled once Kandros was gone and they headed back to the Tempest. “Remind me to let you do all my negotiating from now on. That was slick.”

“I really do want to just ice this. And maybe sleep after I ask Jaal for a book on anagaran poetry.”

“Oh, get me one too. Though, I have to say, asshole aside, this place finally got a little bit more interesting.”

“You would say that.” Vetra chuckled.


	5. Poker Face

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 7: “No worries, we still have time.”
> 
> Pre _High Noon_ , no spoilers.

“You know, in retrospect, this was probably a terrible idea.” Suvi sighed as she studied her cards. “I don’t think poker is my strong suit.”

“Are you making puns now?” Gil studied her from across the table. “No worries, we still have time. The day is young and we just finished our shift.”

There was no denying that. They’d been having breakfast in the galley and somehow it became them playing poker over their morning drinks. The principles of poker were easy to understand. Actually applying them was something else entirely. Suvi knew she’d never have the smooth charm that Gil displayed so easily. So far, he hadn’t clued into her ruse of slightly confused first-timer.

“Ugh,” Suvi glanced at her hand and then at the deck before asking, “We couldn’t have played Go Fish? Hell, even Slap or Bitch would have been better.”

“You’re the one who wanted to practice your ‘non-existent’ poker skills,” Gil took a sip of coffee. “I’ve been giving you gold this past hour. So now it’s time to put up or shut up.”

Suvi gave a thoughtful sigh as she studied her hand. She knew poker was pretty much a game of averages. That she had down pat, so she was fairly sure she held a winning hand now. It was just… everything else about it that she needed to work on. Gil said she had way too many tells, was practically an open book. So she had fallen into that, but not too much to give up the ruse. How Gil was some unshakeable rock, she couldn’t figure out. He gave nothing away, no little clue, nothing she could see and figure out. Bloody frustrating is what it was.

As much as poker was a numbers game, that meant probability factored in as well too. The discard pile was fairly sizeable and the deck dwindling. Her own hand was good, but a single eight was all that stood between her and four of a kind. The chances of her getting that card were around 35%, she figured. She could play it safe and stick with her three of a kind. But what the hell, with this kind of calculated risk, she’d dare to live a little.

She discarded the four of spades from her hand and drew again. Somehow, she managed to make a little sound of frustration as her gaze went to the token pile. Talk about scraping by on a wing and a prayer.

The little tokens that were as good as gold: hand-delivered meals to work stations during long shifts. Suvi did have to give it to Gil, he didn’t mess around with the stakes.

When she looked back at her hand, she chewed on the corner of her lip a bit. Did God still take libations? Would a ration drink pack work, or maybe some tavetum? She looked at the discard pile again, quickly recalling some of the numbers she’d seen there. Then she darted a look at Gil’s hand before looking at her own cards. The chances were very good that he had three of a kind.

Her heart was pounding as she pushed the few tokens she had into the pot. “All in.”

“Ballsy. Gutsy,” Gil nodded his head before he declared. “I call. There’s no way…”

He trailed off as Suvi laid down her cards with a flourish. The adrenaline rush was even sweeter with the look of pure shock on Gil Brodie’s face.

“I showed you mine. Your turn now.” She winked at him. 

“Damn,” he laid down his cards to show the three of a kind. “How’d you pull that off? Even Ryder didn’t beat me.”

“I’m a scientist, I know my numbers.” Suvi couldn’t help but gloat just a wee bit.

Gil narrowed his eyes before he said quietly, “You were counting cards?”

“I calculated probabilities. Very different thing,” Suvi did a little dance in her seat as she raked in her tokens. “Also, we’re not in a casino.”

“No no, I’m impressed.” Gil fell quiet for a moment before adding on, “Starting to wish Andromeda had a casino.”

“Probably somewhere on Kadara. But I am not going to go hustle with you at a casino in Kadara. For one, I’m a terrible shot.”

“Same here. That’s why you flip the table and run for it.”

Laughter pealed out of Suvi. “This is not a heist movie!”

“It’d be fun though.”

“Yeah, if we don’t get shot. Crucial fact there, Gil. And you are not turning me into a card shark.” She smiled as she studied her hard won tokens. “Ten hand delivered meals. Do you want me to tell Kallo you’re doing it out of the kindness of your heart?”

Suvi couldn’t help but laugh some more as Gil swore.


	6. Backup

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 8 & 9: “I know you do.” and "You shouldn't have come here."
> 
> Post-Hunting The Archon, plot spoilers for the mission as well as Planetfall. Mild language.

Liam exhaled a sigh as he sagged against the closed door. Sanaa was finally asleep and honestly, he wished he could say the same. He had laid there beside her, holding her, listening to her breathe and wanting to sleep too. But his mind was racing a mile a minute, unable to slow down. 

Vetra had told him about what had happened aboard the Archon’s ship. In a way he didn’t know if — 

“I had a feeling you were with her.”

“Jesus!” Liam yelped as he jumped, barely catching Jaal’s silhouette in the dim galley when he peered over. “How long have you been there?”

Jaal shrugged. “Long enough.”

Liam came into the small room, absently looking through the cupboards. He saw a small box with a handwritten label of ‘peppermint’. Opening it revealed dried curls and waves of dark green. Must have been Cora’s handiwork. He’d take it, he wasn’t too picky about his tea at the moment. It didn’t take him long to get his set up and also fix one for Jaal. Not that the angaran noticed, too busy studying his clasped hands, looking all brooding. He finally looked up as Liam rested the cup in front of him.

“Thank you.” Jaal studied the pale liquid. “What is it?”

“Peppermint tea. It’ll do until we get some proper tea going. What I wouldn’t give for replicators from Star Trek.”

“Another one of your entertainments?”

Jaal’s laugh sounded strained and Liam felt the worry sharpen even more. This was very unlike Jaal. It seemed like he was trying to avoid thinking about something and was doing a piss poor job of it. 

“Sanaa’s fine. Sleeping. She said she had a headache and Lexi said to just sleep it off. She didn’t want to have SAM relieve it.”

Just like that the tension was snapping off Jaal, little pinprick sparks easily seen against the blue _rofjinn_. The worry crystallized into anxiety now as Liam turned to faced Jaal. He didn’t want to upset Jaal more, but Liam was really starting to think he should have insisted on going with her to the Archon’s ship.

“Vetra told me what happened on the ship, that it wasn’t good. That Sanaa… died.” 

Liam felt the words leave his tongue to drop into the silence like heavy stones. Jaal gave a heavy sigh, halfway between anger and misery. His fingers shifted on the mug, squeezing and relaxing as if he was working up the nerve.

“What did Vetra tell you exactly?”

“That you guys were caught in some forcefield and Sanaa had to die to get out.”

Jaal’s snort was bitter. “I think she said that to spare you.”

“What do you —”

“SAM stopped her heart. SAM killed her to get her out of that forcefield and then she released us.”

For a moment, all Liam could do was stare at Jaal. That… was very different that Vetra’s sombre explanation, “Ryder died, came back and got us out of there.” But the well was tapped since Jaal kept on.

“She just dropped to the floor and was so still. I knew SAM was trying to resuscitate her, I could hear him over the comm. But it felt like an eternity and she didn’t move. Ryder is something to behold, always so vital. To see her so…”

Jaal inhaled deeply as if trying to calm himself. Liam was starting to think that maybe he needed to go on any critical mission with her. Not because he was one of those overprotective idiots, but just to just keep an eye out. In all honesty, his damn heart couldn’t really take just hearing it. Seeing it was terrifying in his own right, but at least his training would kick in, get him through it. Everything sitting in his chest right now, it just felt like a time bomb.

“If I was free, I would have shot that skutting Archon on his face.”

Jaal’s words were vicious, snarled and weirdly enough, it settled some of the worry in Liam. At least he knew Jaal would do whatever he could to see Sanaa safe. He nodded his head, muttering, “You and me both” before he took a sip. Silence fell for a bit before Liam asked,

“Did anyone every tell you about the first planet we ever went to in Andromeda?”

“All Cora would say is that it went badly and Ryder’s father died.”

Now it was Liam’s turn to snort. “It went from bad to worse. You think Sanaa’s something else in battle? You should have seen her old man, she definitely got it from him. We went down to this planet to check it out…”

Jaal was attentive as Liam went over everything, how he found Sanaa, rescued their two missing crew, found a crashed kett ship, a cave with plantlife and then a kett installation before circling back to find the other crashed shuttle from a flare. How they stormed that installation with Alec Ryder leading the charge, with Sanaa right behind him. How he and Cora had been sweeping through the base when the rumble had shaken them off their feet and they had seen the blue cloud send both Ryders flying off the platform.

“And when we finally got to them, Alec was dead. He full on died from lack of oxygen. And Sanaa…” Liam trailed off for a moment. “She was convulsing as the SAM implant was trying to boot up. It was pure fucking chaos some kett forces were closing in on us as Dr Carlyle was trying to keep her alive while we waited for that shuttle to evac us. She nearly flatlined twice and was dead for twenty two seconds. At least with convulsions… I know she was fighting, you know? Trying to stay alive, wanting to stay alive.”

“Seeing her simply fall like that, as if she lost her vital spark…” Jaal was quiet for a moment. “Do you perhaps think that you shouldn’t have come here.”

Liam shook his head. “Nah, it’s a hell of an adventure. And I didn’t travel all those light years and sleep for 600 years just to tuck tail and run at the first sign of trouble. And since there’s some assholes here trying to ruin shit for you guys and us, just means I gotta fight all the harder.”

Jaal blinked at that before he chuckled, shaking his head. “In some ways, you are the most angaran-like human I have ever met, Liam Kosta.”

“Thanks, I think.” Liam rubbed at the back of his neck, seeing how Jaal looked a bit more relaxed. “Feel better?”

“A bit,” Jaal admitted. “It was terrifying to just see her like that. I know she is a fighter but that rattled me.”

“Rattled me and you’re the only one who gave me the full picture. But I don’t need to worry to much if she takes you on a mission with her.”

“Do you usually worry when not on a mission with her?”

“Yeah, to some degree. I worry about factors beyond her control. I mean look at that kett base on Voeld.”

Jaal made a small sound of understanding. “I did think she was going to take us back to blow up the base That was the angriest I have ever seen her.”

“She probably would of if she could have. But I know she wanted to get the survivors out of there. And then with all those incoming kett forces…”

Jall nodded, before he reached over and clapped a hand on Liam’s shoulder. “Just know that I will always have her back, as she has mine.”

“I know you do.” And damn if that didn’t make Liam feel a hell of a lot better. “And hey, you actually got that expression right.”

“Fuck off.” Jaal laughed.

“That one too! He’s learning!”


	7. Familial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 10: "You think this troubles me?"
> 
> Post - A Trail of Hope, possible spoilers (depending on dialogue choices)

He could hear her coming from a mile off. Her sure quick steps slowing as she approached the galley. Sure enough, Ryder’s face peered around the corner a few seconds later.

“Something smells good.” She took another sniff, looking around. 

“Oh no you don’t,” Drack would to be blind to miss how her gaze zeroed in on the oven “You get gruninen roast at the same time as everyone else.”

Ryder nodded her head, fingers fiddling with the edge of her datapad. “How long’s it got left?”

“Two hours,” Drack chuckled. 

“I could use a cup of coffee.”

Drack watched as Ryder moved through the kitchen, fixing her drink. For a small squishy human, she was something alright. Running around Heleus, shooting kett in the face like it was going out of style and honestly, helping make inroads with the angara better than some other idiots he’d seen. To be honest, he’d been a bit skeptical when he’d come on board the Tempest. Drack had figured he’d check this out, maybe get a quicker ride back to the Nexus to visit Kesh and then be on his way. A few fights on Eos with her and Kosta had him staying longer than he figured. Taking out that massive kett base on Eos had been the most fun he’d had in awhile. Not to mention the view from the top was almost as good as plugging that Invictor.

“Hey, is what Kosta said true?” Drack asked when she sat down beside him. “That you said you’d fuck the kett’s shit up and then shot that kett in the face?”

“Bet Liam made it sound better than that.”

“Yeah, he did. Doesn’t change the fact that it was badass.”

“Thanks, I think,” Ryder shrugged, studying her coffee. “I wasn’t even thinking at the time. I was just so…”

“Didn’t think you could get that angry,” for all her professional appearance when she was on the job, she did surprise him. “Good for you.”

For a few moments, Ryder didn’t say anything. “You saw on those outposts on Eos, they’re keeping logs about all our species. Seem really interested in krogan. How long before they’re experimenting on us, figuring out ways to elevate us,” she sneered. “Trust me, if I ever get the chance, I’ll shoot the Archon in the face. Hell, I’d punch him in it.”

Drack couldn’t help but grin at that. “You’d probably break your hand doing that.”

“Some things are just worth it, Drack.” Sanaa grinned, tipping her mug to him. 

“You’re learning,” Drack laughed. “Maybe you squishy meat sacks aren’t entirely a lost cause.”

“There's a bag of bones showing me a few tricks.” Sanaa gave a grin before taking a sip of coffee. “I sort of get the impression that it’s been a long while since you’ve seen Kesh.”

Drack pegged her with a long look, trying to sort out where exactly that had come from. Not that he had long to worry.

“I mean, with the krogan mostly off the Nexus, I think I’ve only ever seen a few others on the station.”

“Yeah, what about it?” Drack figured Ryder was trying to get to some point.

“Does it bother you being away from her for so long?”

The way Ryder was fixing her gaze on the oven and idly rubbing her thumb on the mug handle… Drack had a feeling this was more about her than it was about him. He gave a grunt as he readjusted in his seat, feeling his knees protest and a hipbone shift.

“You think this troubles me, being away from my _rushan_?" 

“But it’s been so long since—” 

Drack shifted to face Ryder. From everything he heard, this kid had been through some shit since the human ark arrived. Brother laid up in the infirmary, dad dead and she got the Pathfinder position and now had to deal with the Nexus breathing down her neck while asking for the world — or rather, worlds — while being tight fisted about it. He also knew that when the Tempest docked at the Nexus, Ryder would visit the Hyperion medbay religiously to visit her brother. By his count, their last visit had been about… hell, just over a month now. 

“You want to know the one thing about command that I don’t think you’ve quite gotten yet?” Drack waited until she looked at him, gave her undivided attention. “You ain’t gotta explain shit unless you want to or are absolutely forced to.”

“Uh…” Ryder was definitely confused now. “Okay.”

“Right, so if you wanna go to the Nexus for whatever, you just set the direction and that pilot of yours gets us there,” Drack scratched his chin. “Pretty sure everyone is ready for some shore leave though. But not the interesting kind you get on Kadara.”

Ryder sighed, scrubbing a hand over her face. “Just this last thing on Havarl and then I’ll set some shore leave.”

“Your call.” Drack shrugged before he nudged her shoulder with his arm. To her credit, she didn’t go flying. “What’s your brother like anyhow? He do stupid shit like you?”

Ryder laughed. “I’m the sensible one. Scott does way stupider shit. Once we went out for drinks and wound up at Chora’s Den —”

“That shitty titty dive bar?” Drack laughed. 

“And we found ourselves in a brawl and had to bolt. Wound up hiding in a duct from Fist’s goons. Then he went back a few weeks later solo. Never seen him come back home so fast. Said he cleared out when some big krogan named Wrex came in, he thought some more shit was going down.”

“At least he knows when the hell to clear out. Heard of that whelp Wrex. Smart and dangerous. But if your brother is crazier than you then he needs to haul ass out of that infirmary.That'll really ruin the kett's day.”

“That’s what I keep telling him.” Ryder smiled as took another sip. “You know, you can call me Sanaa.”

“Kid, I’m too old to be learning names at the drop of the hat. And you’re not a pain in the ass like Kosta,” Drack ignored her mutter of, ‘It’s been three months’. “Stay alive for the next five years and then we’ll see.”

“Pretty sure I can manage that. Will definitely help if I don’t go trying to get kett to swallow grenades before hurling them.”

"Heard about that huh?" Drack chuckled. “Think of it as a challenge.”

“Think I’ll leave it for Scott to try.”


	8. Thessian Nights

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 11 & 12: “But I will never forget!” "Who could do this?"
> 
> Post - Voeld landing, pre A Trail of Hope

_“But I will never forget.”_

_“You won’t be alive long enough to even bother with that.”_

Lexi sighed as she continued looking over the medical journals she received from Aya. So far, Jaal had just shown up for minor nicks and cuts. But she needed to be prepared in case he came in with something more serious. Liam Kosta, on the other hand…

“Liam,” she looked over her shoulder. “Do you mind turning it down just a bit?”

Sorry doc.” Liam said, the vid’s volume dropping.

Kosta had learned the hard way that doing a Havoc Strike on a eiroch was a terrible idea. Especially when Ryder had just done a Nova and the resulting shockwave sent him slamming back against those hard plates. Having the heavy and dead beast fall on top of him was just the cherry on top. He’d cracked enough bones to have internal bleeding and thank the Goddess Ryder insisted on bringing him back to the ship. 

It had been a sight alright to see Ryder come in, bring Kosta to the bed and set him down gently. When Liam insisted he could still shoot and fight, Ryder just raised a brow and dryly asked him to, “put his hands in the air like he just didn’t care.”

Liam must not have cared because he’d tried to hide his wince with a snicker as he struggled to do just that. Didn’t help that he was wheezing a bit too. Ryder had smiled, given him a pat and then a kiss on the cheek and told him to get better sooner rather than later. Lexi would not comment on how Liam’s gaze followed her until the door closed. 

They were on their way back to Aya. They had found some artifacts for Avela and had a Roekaar prisoner that Evfra requested they transfer. Maybe she could talk to Ryder to see about getting a healing bed for Jaal while they were docked. It could never hurt to be—

_“Who could do this?”_

_“Hmph. My creds say it’s R’Giva. She never met a salarian she didn’t like… and murder.”_

Okay, that smooth, deep voice caught Lexi’s attention now. She turned to see Feri L’pentu’s gorgeous face on the screen and her stressed looking turian partner, Everus. Lexi was out of her seat before she realised it.

“Where did you get a copy of _Thessian Nights_?”

“I have my sources,” Liam grinned. “Managed to get all eight hundred and sixty five episodes. Want a copy?”

“Yes please!” Lexi had that damn report to read but she had been reading for the past five hours. She pulled up a stool. “Mind if I watch a bit?”

“Your infirmary.” Liam gestured for her to come in closer. “Have you seen the Letoment arc?”

“I vaguely remember pieces of it. It aired when I was studying for my finals. How many minutes left?”

To his credit, Liam didn’t try to sit up in bed. Just moved his arms and pulled up his omni-tool. At least he could follow medical instructions when asked, unlike some. 

“About thirty minutes,” Liam grinned and Lexi could see why Ryder was smitten, even if ship rumour said they were keeping things casual. “This is the Ilium episode.”

“Oh, I have to see this. Besides, breaks are a good idea when studying for extended periods of time.” Lexi scooted her chair in closer. 

Liam hit play and Lexi forgot about reports and such for a solid thirty whirlwind minutes. She watched as L’pentu followed the clues around Ilium, dealing with shady characters and then the rooftop scene with Everus’ betrayal. L’pentu on the edge of the building and then her tumbling with the force of Everus’ shot. The fade out to black as she plummeted, biotics not working for some reason and then just the horrifying sound of a heavy thump and screaming alarms. The extranet had exploded when that episode aired. Lexi fondly recalled her mom and dad loving every second of the episode, even as she was nose deep in her textbooks. And then watching it with her dad later on while she was on break. Their Omega apartment hadn’t been much but it was home and she found herself missing it occassionally.

A soft breath from beside made her turn to see Liam out like a light. She smiled, stretching as she got up before she tucked the blankets in a bit more.

“SAM,” she murmured as she quietly walked back to her seat. “Can you shut down the vid link Liam established?”

“Of course Dr T’perro,” the screen abruptly shut off. “Did you require anything else?”

“No, thank you SAM.” Lexi settled at her desk, feeling refreshed.

“You’re welcome Dr T’perro.”

Silence settled in comfortably and Lexi almost didn’t register the sound of the door as it opened. She half turned to see Ryder come in, making a direct beeline for the seat by Liam’s bed. Lexi half rose out of her seat to go and ask Ryder about the bed for Jaal, but seeing how Ryder sat in the seat and carefully took Liam’s hand, thumb absently stroking his knuckles…

No, better she give Ryder at least the illusion of privacy. A message sent a bit later on wouldn’t be the end of the world. Lexi managed to plow on through the rest of the report and collating her notes into a useable quick access file could be done after she got some sleep. When she glanced over, she saw Ryder slouched on the bedside, fast asleep as well. Both of these two, stubborn to a fault sometimes.

Hey,” Lexi gently shook Ryder’s shoulder when she came over. “Bedtime, Ryder.”

Ryder looked groggy as she stirred, rubbing at her eyes with her hands. “What time is it?”

“Just after 0300,” Lexi said after a glance at her display. “About four hours until we reach Aya.”

Ryder stood and stretched, joints popping as she yawned wider than a varren. “Okay, I’ll get some more shut-eye. Thanks Lexi. SAM, wake me when we’re half an hour out from Aya.”

Lexi watched as Ryder shuffled off. _“The Ryders do have a… disposition to think they’re fine until they’re not and it’s all nearly falling apart.”_ Lexi had thought Dr Carlyle was exaggerating to some degree. But then she had seen a sleepless Ryder roaming the ship at such late hours when they first got the Tempest. But that first month had been rather insane, so Lexi opted to keep a close eye on her. Things had settled down some and Ryder seemed to be getting enough sleep…

She sighed as settled in her seat once more and got back to her reading. Scheduling an appointment with Ryder was never fun. Her and Peebee were too similar when it came to medical things: would talk about anything else under the sun but themselves. And speaking of, Peebee was long overdue for her initial check-up. If she had to get Ryder involved...

Oh Goddess, she could feel the headache already.


	9. Company

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 13& 14: "Try harder next time" and "Some people call this wisdom."
> 
> Post - High Noon, A Trail of Hope. Major spoilers for High Noon. Post - Cora Harper: Asari Ark, some spoilers (mostly confusing if you haven't done the mission).

Sanaa wished she was literally anywhere else. Addison had insisted that she come in to review precisely how the settlement on Kadara was allowed. Honestly, she put it off as long as she could because she knew the shitshow was coming. She’d rather be shooting kett in the face than dealing with Addison. 

And it was going just as well as she expected it would. Here she was in the brand spanking new Pathfinder HQ, answering questions left and right. Tann and Addison at the desk like little lords and her before them trying to very carefully explain. Thankfully, had very little to press her on. Cora’s report had been straightforward as had hers been. 

In her book, Sloane was dealt with and it was one less headache to worry about. Tann had expressed some doubts about the Charlatan but seemed willing to bite his tongue. For the greater good, as he had phrased it. Addison, on the other hand, was not letting it go. She seemed convinced that Sanaa was not telling her something about the duel that resulted in Sloane’s death.

Quite frankly, Sanaa would take that to her damned grave. They would not be finding out that Vidal was the Charlatan from her. While she didn’t trust the man as far as she could throw him, there was no denying the benefits of having someone not answerable to the Nexus. That someone would keep Tann and Addison on their toes without a massive axe to grind. Kandros was cautiously optimistic, since he said they’d been shooting far less Outlaws since the Collective took over. 

But now, Addison was rubbing at her brow with a frown on her face. Maybe she finally realised she wasn’t getting the answers she wanted today. “Well, try harder next time. We can’t have a rouge agent like the Charlatan running roughshod all over Andromeda. We need there to be some accountability.”

Sanaa stared at Addison and honestly, while she did kind of see where the director was coming from, it was easy to see why there had been a revolt.

“That ‘rogue agent’ as you put it is the only damn reason why we could settle on Kadara. If Sloane had lived somehow, you better believe she would have ground that axe right down. Trust me, when Sloane died, the Charlatan could have just as easily turned the planet back over to the anagra and I’m starting to think they should have. And before you get all high and mighty on me Addison, let me remind you that without me, you wouldn’t have a single goddamn colony to manage and might very well be dead in the water at best and already dead at worse.”

Sanaa didn’t even wait to see if Addison or Tann wanted to say something. He quick stride got her down the steps and to the door. She ignored the startled assistant, ignored the shouts coming from behind. What she needed was to be as far away from those two as possible before she did anything else stupid. Her anger-fuelled stride got her to the transport quick enough and she stabbed the button for the docking bay. Her omni-tool was beeping insistently the whole trip back but she hit mute. When she got onto the Tempest, Liam was waiting by the airlock door.

“Oh hey, I’ve got Addison on —”

Sanaa growled, “She can fuck right off” as she stomped past.

“Okay then,” Liam’s confusion echoed in her wake. “Meeting went well I guess.” 

It didn’t take much more to slide down the ladder and go to her quarters. The silence was soothing and Sanaa flopped into the chair by the window, trying to sort out the jumble of feelings inside. Everything was always fine with Tann and Addison so long as she did what they said and wanted. What the hell was the point of her being Pathfinder if every single little action was going to be questioned so? She needed some sort of leeway to make some judgment calls. If Tann and Addison were going to fine tooth comb every decision they didn’t like, they could take this job and shove it.

Hell, at least when Jaal had first joined the team, he was honest about it. Their second conversation, he’d laid it all it: he didn’t know her well, trusted her even less, needed her to prove herself to him as much as Evfra. Sanaa shook her head. She literally had more trust from Evfra and Jaal than she ever thought she’d get from Tann and Addison. At least Tann was the better of the two, his intense dislike of the krogan aside. That… she didn’t think she could ever fix that.

“Sanaa, I have Cora Harper requesting your company.”

SAM’s smooth voice made her slouch down in the seat with a groan. “What now, can it wait?”

“She is insisting it’s urgent.”

Of course. And if Cora was coming to her directly, it must be important. Hopefully, it wasn’t like the Leusinia all over again. She pushed off from the chair, silently directing SAM to let her in. The doors slid open and Sanaa found herself momentarily surprised to see Cora not looking serious. In fact, she had a little container with her and a bottle with two mugs strung on a finger. The knowing smile on Cora’s face was really throwing her for a loop.

“Liam said you shouted at some bigwigs and need to vent?” Cora looked at her. 

“Liam said?” Sanaa said dryly.

“Well he doesn’t deal with Tann and Addison. Gotten damned good at dealing with anyone else but them,” Cora muttered. “So I deal with them when you can’t. Who shoved too hard this time?”

For a moment, all Sanaa could do was watch as Cora set down the cups and container before she opened the bottle. Wisps of steam escaped as pale yellow liquid was poured out.

“My last bit of corsiana tea.” Cora smiled as she offered her a cup and then opened the container. "And someone managed to make cookies."

Sanaa looked at the plain cookie Cora placed in her hand before she blurted out, “Addison.” the whole cookie vanished in a delicious bite, not even a crumb spared. “Grilled me over what went down on Kadara and then told me to basically try harder next time. Holy fuck these are good.”

Cora smiled as she took a bite before settling down in the seat beside Ryder. “Hm, Kadara was tricky. I’m just glad to hear you don’t trust Vidal.”

“I know his type. Too slick, always has an answer and explanation that works perfectly for what he wants… This was more than a power grab, I know that much,” Sanaa shook her head as she brought the cup to her lips. “Oh, it’s already sweet?”

“Naturally sweet. Just brew and drink, perfect with the cookies.” Cora smiled as she took a sip of her own. “I don’t think Sloane would have been better. Just my professional opinion. She could clearly hold a grudge and then some.”

“Here’s hoping the Charlatan is different.” Sanaa said dryly as she raised her cup. “And nothing needs to ever be arranged.”

“Sarissa…” Cora trailed off for a moment, a frown coming to her face. 

Shit, she had checked in with Cora after the rescue of the Leusinia happened. Cora had claimed she was fine but Sanaa had wanted to be sure, given how much Cora looked up to the woman. And then somehow forgot with everything else that happened. Sanaa rubbed at the lip of her mug. 

“So, I know you’re a big girl and all,” She chuckled at Cora’s eyeroll. “But how are you doing with Sarissa?”

Cora gave a shrug and a sigh. “I still don’t like that we didn’t say anything. But I see what you meant, keeping it quiet. The Initiative needs hope and to work together more than additional infighting. And since she’s the new asari Pathfinder, nothing we can really do about it.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Sanaa mused before taking another sip. “I’ve already heard rumours going around of what went down on the Leusinia. While we can’t exactly go saying things because of morale, anonymous sources do find their way to T’Vessa.”

“That’s… not too terrible an idea. Especially how you’ve been pushing for the truth as much as possible with her.” Cora mused. “Let her say what you can’t.”

Sanaa nodded. “Pathfinder is a very exclusive club. When it’s three whole other people, you know too much about the others to some degree. So if push comes to shove, it’s not too hard to get someone else to kick ass with.” She paused for a moment, eyes widening. “I gotta try that with Tann and Addison.”

Cora stared for a moment, before she burst out laughing. It was deep and surprising, as if Cora couldn’t hide her true amusement. After a few moments, she dabbed away the tears at her eyes.

“Liam is a terrible influence on you. But I guess you’re not wrong. Some people might actually call that wisdom, Ryder.”

“I guess,” Sanaa shrugged loosely. “Though, if I ever need to tell Sarissa where to shove her manual, I’ll bring you along.”

“Me?” Cora’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Did I miss something?”

“No, I just figured you’d like the honour.” Sanaa grinned. “Might make you feel a little bit better.”

Cora’s fresh bout of laughter was honestly music to her ears.


	10. Troubleshoot

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 15 - “I thought you had forgotten.”
> 
> Post-Meet the Resistance, pre-Peebee: Secret Project, no spoilers

Peebee peered into the tech lab. There was Jaal, studiously working on something on… something else? She couldn’t quite see from this angle and —

“I know you’re there Peebee,” Jaal glanced over at her, laying down his tools. “I thought perhaps you had forgotten?”

“Me? No, I didn’t. Said I would help and here I am,” like she’d miss her assigned time in the tech lab and the opportunity to scope out the newest addition to the team. “Just didn’t want to interrupt,” Peebee slid around the door, as if she hadn’t been spying. “What are you working on?”

“Trying to see if I can modify this bit of Remtech to my rifle. As it modulates power, perhaps I can increase shot penetration if I install it successfully.”

“Have you tried changing the algorithm? Just how compatible is Remnant and kett technology, I heard you modded that rifle yourself?” Peebee looked over the rifle and then at Jaal. “Oh, duh, of course you would have modded it with angaran tech first, you’re trying to merge three tech bases into one, aren’t you?”

Jaal regarded her silently for a few moments. “I am. But it is being very difficult.”

Peebee pulled up a stool and nudged Jaal aside, peering at the open spot he was working at. “Maybe you should try to fuse the angaran and Remtech together first? Ryder was saying how you guys have bioelectrics, would that help it speak to each other first?”

“I hadn’t realised this became your project.” Jaal said slowly as he watched her.

“Sorry,” Peebee felt like she was always saying that. “It’s just—”

“Do not be sorry for your enthusiasm. Truth be told, I hadn’t thought someone from the Milky Way would have that much insight into our technology.”

If there was something Peebee would never tire of it was hearing how Jaal said ‘Milky Way’. There was something to the way the syllables just rolled off his tongue.

“Well I’ve come across bits and pieces of it before. Been chipping away at it but those Remnant glyphs are making much more sense to me, since SAM has been compiling a codex of ones Ryder scans. You know the first time I met Ryder, she just worked it like it was no big deal, when clearly it was.”

“Ryder underestimates her ability to work Remnant devices to a great degree.” Jaal nudged Peebee over a bit, peering at the small Remnant device.

“Tell me about it. But right, yes, we were trying to get this mod working on your rifle. I’m pretty good at figuring out glyphs and such, what’s stumping you?”

“The Remtech part.” Jaal chuckled.

Peebee nodded as Jaal detached the part and handed it to her. The holodisplay lit up, lines of glpyhs slowly scrolling by. It was all really like a giant puzzle and she was seriously getting good at it. It was basically getting the glphys to talk to one another and then making it so that the links to the angaran tech were fixed. Then it would be getting that result to talk the kett tech. Not to mention doing it in the precisely the proper order. Remtech was funny that way.

“Jaal, can you just shock this glyph? Very gently.” Peebee looked up to find him staring intently at her head. “Uh…”

“Your head is quite fascinating,” Jaal leaned in, pupils like huge blue galaxies. “I have seen no asari with the same markings. Are they all different?”

“Yeah,” Peebee took his hand and placed his smallest finger on the glyph. “Now, shock this.”

Jaal obliged and the glyph glowed green with the surge of power. A few glpyhs flashed in the display with three showing red. She highlighted them on the grid, pulling up the small section.

“There’s where the shorts are. Man, what did Ryder call this again?”

“Saduko, I think.” Jaal searched through the workspace for something.

“No, pretty sure it was something else,” Peebee waved a hand in dismissal. “Sokudo? Oh well, do you have—”

Jaal had found something and plugged it in. A new display flashed up filled with only three lines of glyphs, with four to a row. 

“I believe this is the key you’re looking for.”

Jaal sounded so smug that Peebee couldn’t help but laugh. “At least we’re on the same page. Time for a little trial and error.”

There was an easy pattern to working with Jaal. Sure it was mostly in silence, just occasional beeps from the consoles as they worked through the glpyhs. It seemed like the shorts came nearly as quickly as they thought they solved it. Jaal kept making these little rumbles of annoyance. At least, Peebee thought it was, maybe it was a thoughtful sound? A glance over showed Jaal deep in thought, brow furrowed and tongue sticking out a bit.

It didn’t quite match up with the sound he was making ans Peebee couldn’t fight the laugh that came. When Jaal looked at her, all innocent, confused and wide-eyed she couldn’t help but laugh some more.

“You turn those big ol’ blue eyes on just anyone?”

“I… what?” Jaal seemed perplexed for a moment. “Are you… teasing me?”

“Maybe, what about it?”

Jaal considered her words for a moment. “Because I teased you?”

Uh… what? “You did?”

“I did. I thought perhaps I delivered it badly.”

“I’m not the best at this some times,” Peebeee fell quiet for a moment before she softly drawled, “Oh. The project line.”

Jaal chuckled. “Yes, that. Shall I try again?”

“No, the moment’s gone,” Peebee shrugged. “You’re gonna keep me on my toes are—”

A loud screech and flashing red from the console caught both their attention. Peebee’s fingers flew over the console as she looked at the angrily pulsing glyphs.

“Were we ignoring that or did it just suddenly decide to get angry?”

“The latter. I set it to cycle through to catch any errors. It seems this configuration would have caused a feedback loop.”

Peebee sighed as he fingers flew. A few seconds later, the calm blue grid returned. “Back to the drawing board.” When she glanced over, there was a curious look on Jaal’s face as he regarded the door. “What?”

“Imminent crisis and Ryder did not show up to press the avoid disaster button.” Jaal slid her a look and a mischevious grin. “Well done Peebee. You beat her to the kick.”

“Close enough.” Peebee laughed. “She is really good at that, isn’t she?”

“I think you can beat her to it sometimes.”

“Race to avoid disaster, get all the glory?” Peebee rubbed at her chin in thought. 

“Surviving is just a happy byproduct.” 

“Hey, I like living!” Peebee shoved at his shoulder with a laugh. “So how about we figure this out so your gun doesn’t explode in your face and you survive?”

“Please. It is my favourite gun. Everyone keeps trying to take it.”

“Must be something to it. Let’s get it working then, shall we?”


	11. Full Throttle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day: 16 - “This is gonna be so much fun!"
> 
> Post - H-047c: A New World, pre-Vetra Nyx: Means and Ends

“I still can’t believe you got Ryder to let you do this.”

Vetra just smiled as Drack settled into his seat with a groan. She easily swung herself in, doing up the belts and waiting for the hangar bay to decompress. This planet was supposed to be the turian homeworld, but now, it was just a field of floating rubble. In between the driving to protected sites, Ryder showed she had no hesitation to slam the pedal to the floor and send them flying off small hills to glide through the low gravity.

It had been that moment of adrenaline, feeling the surge of acceleration and then the moment of weightlessness, truly floating for a moment, free from gravity and just… there.

The laugh that had tumbled out of her was pure joy. Sid was safe on the Nexus, they had made a marked difference in Andromeda… how could Vetra not feel joy at that to some degree. How could she not ask to take a spin at the wheel? And Ryder, spirits bless her, had prattled on about needing to do paperwork and other things. What about, Vetra couldn’t say what exactly. Ryder had talked a lot, and fast, before sending her the access code, then giving her a salute and grin before sauntering away.

Once the cargo bay decompressed and the loading ramp unfolded, Vetra eased the Nomad out onto the grey asteroid field that was H-047c. As soon as they were fully clear from the Tempest and then she floored it. With the all wheel drive and stability off, driving this vehicle was a dream come true. It responded to every single motion as she wanted and by the time she’d jumped a few hills and drifted through valleys, Drack was laughing.

“Yeah, I see why you wanted to drag me out for a spin.” He fixed a yellow-black eye on her. “You’ve got something else planned, haven’t you?”

All Vetra did was raise a brow plate slightly before she floored the gas again and shot the Nomad down a steep hillside. For a moment, Drack was laughing. And then he noticed the giant chasm dead ahead. 

“Holy shit kid, you’ve got to be joking!”

“Nope!” Vetra crowed as she hit the turboboost for a bit, creeping their speed up more.

The vehicle was ripping along and Vetra steered it right for the upwards sloping hill by the chasm, throttling off the gas for a bit before flooring it once more to tear up the hill.

“Hold on to your plates, old man!” Vetra warned, hitting the turboboost to send them surging forwards.

It was still going when they launched into the air. There was the brief moment of acceleration, pressing them back into the seat and then the euphoric feeling of floating along with the Nomad, only held in place by their seat belts. The sound Drack was making sounded like it was halfway between a scream and a laugh and oh man, this had so definitely been worth it. When the Nomad slammed down into the ground on the other side, the exuberance and victory bubbled out of Vetra with another wild laugh.

“You trying to make my plates drop off?” 

If it was ever possible to see a krogan turn into boneless mush, Drack looked like it. But the gleam in his eyes and the wide grin said the exact opposite.

“All the adrenaline, none of the shooting.”

“What’s wrong with you, the shooting is the best part.” Drack grumbled as he sat up in his seat. “Next time, let’s go drinking at Kralla’s. It easier on the creakier parts of me, keeps me limber.”

The exuberance she felt down to her hide made her smile wide. “I think Ryder would rather we go for joyrides than cause shit at Kralla’s.”

“We wouldn’t cause shit. We’d finish shit, big difference.”

“Never change, old man.” Vetra laughed but it disappeared as she slowed down the Nomad. After a few moments, Vetra tapped her fingers against the steering wheel. “Say, Drack, do those tracks look new to you?”

Drack eyed her, eyes narrowing as if trying to figure out what she was getting at. “You mean the tracks going to that dome over there?”

“Yeah, that wasn’t there before when I was here with Ryder and Liam.”

The laugh Drack gave was low and amused. “So Vetra, you wanna go bash some skulls in?”

“I wouldn’t say bash. Negotiate,” Vetra turned the Nomad towards the dome. “Very nicely with my gun aimed at precise spots. Bashing does a number on the mechanics.”

“Your gun?”

“Yeah, my gun. Gotta make an emphasis somehow.”

Drack’s laugh nearly drowned out the beep of the dome’s airlock closing behind them and starting it’s compression cycle. Once they got inside, there was a large rover of some kind and what looked like moving platforms of some kind. The people yelling and diving for cover were definitely not Initiative.

“Ha ha,” Drack crowed as he unbuckled and reached for his shotgun. “Then let’s go negotiate. This is gonna be so much fun!”

____________________________________________

“… You said you were going for a quick spin.”

Ryder sounded very confused and Vetra could truly understand where it was coming from. Usually when someone went out for a joyride, they didn’t come back with the vehicle all banged up and with a whole bunch of goods in the back.

“We did,” Vetra shrugged. “We also cleaned house a little bit.”

“Some Outlaws were trying to set up camp, run some operations from the domes you cleared out before. Took care of it for you, you’re welcome.” Drack hopped out of the Nomad.

“I’m not complaining,” Ryder was scrutinizing the scuff marks on the front fender. “How many Outlaws exactly?”

“Enough, too many, don’t fuss over the details,” Drack picked up a rifle and came over, shoving it into her arms. “Happy birthday.”

“Not my birthday.” Ryder looked at the rifle before she looked at Vetra. “Anything I need to worry about coming back to bite us?”

“Nah. We were very tactful negotiators.”

Vetra grinned and earned herself a spluttered laugh from Ryder. “Then I daresay, you two get your pick of the spoils. Just run it by Cora and Liam. Maybe they’ll have a good idea of where to divert half of this,” she peered into the stuffed trunk. “Good negotiation you two.”

“Good enough to stop off at Kralla’s?” Drack tried. 

Ryder made a considering sound before she just grinned and headed back to the door before calling out, “Might want to deal with the scuffs before Gil says something.”

“Aw man,” Vetra eyed them, wondering how long they’d take to buff out. “Was hoping she wouldn’t notice.”

“She’s got an AI floating around in her head. Be a miracle if she didn’t."


	12. Disclosure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 17 - "I can tell you but you're not going to like it"
> 
> Post - Hunting the Archon, plot spoilers, takes place immediately after _Backup_

Scott could finally hear things without SAM. At first it had been auditory snatches, as if he was hearing people underwater. But it grew clearer until he could hear all the comings and goings in the med bay. He learned the sound of the doctors by the treads, as well as his visitors too. His body was still down for the count, but SAM and Dr Carlyle assured him, it was on the mend and he’d be up and about soon.

His sister’s steps were always sure and measured, nearly mistakeable for Dr Carlyle’s but much more rapid. Sanaa always had somewhere to be, something to do. _‘Fifty million things to do and never enough time.’_ It had been so long since he’d last seen her and that grin she gave him was still clear as day in his mind.

But now, in the quiet of the infirmary, he could hear a different gait. This one was smoother, with an almost rhythmic cadence to it, like someone was walking to music only they heard.

Liam Kosta coming to visit during the dead of night shift? This was something new. Maybe the Tempest had just docked? But no, he always came in the late morning or early afternoon, without fail.

But there was also another footstep now along with Liam’s. It didn’t quite match up, probably from the person’s longer stride. It was softer but sounded heavier too, as if the person had more weight. Not quite as heavy as a krogan step, maybe turian?

All Scott could do was listen to the chair wheels scrape lightly across the floor and the slight wheeze of the seat sinking down as someone sat. Judging from the sounds of cloth rustling and stifled sigh, it was Liam. The fact that the silence dragged on was not helping matter.

“Liam, perhaps you should do this later? Or let Sanaa do this herself?”

That voice was definitely new. Deep and thoughtful, like a melodic baritone. Or contralto? Whatever, he was shit at that stuff. But the worry was clear as day to hear.

“No, because you know she’ll kinda put it off unless I drag her here. Or you do. Just… gotta rip this bandaid right off.”

“Rip off the bandaid,” the deep voice paused for a moment. “You humans have very… peculiar expressions.”

“No shit Jaal.”

Jaal snorted and hummed, “That one too.” After a moment, he suggested, “Perhaps I should rip it off? I was there.”

Now Scott was really worried. What the hell were they dicking around about not telling him? Another chair was pulled up and this Jaal person sat down too. Liam took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for the task. 

“Okay, first things first, that voice you just heard? His name is Jaal. Uh, Jaal Ama Darav. He’s been with us pretty much since we got to Andromeda and I’m very pleased to say that he’s decided to not shoot us in our sleep.”

There was a sound of protest from Jaal as he muttered, “That is a terrible introduction.”

“He’s, like, one of the best snipers I’ve ever seen and he and I usually go on ground missions with your sister. Except for the one we just came from.”

A heavy silence descended and Scott really wished they get to the point. Besides, after that crazy story of that turian Liam ran with for a bit on Omega, this Jaal must be something to leave that sort of impression on Liam.

The rustling of cloth came now, maybe some wordless conversation passing between Liam and Jaal. After a few moments, Jaal was the one to finally speak, his voice sombre. 

“We discovered the Archon’s ship as well as the salarian ark. The mission went from reconnaissance to a rescue one. When we found the Archon’s main lab, we had no reason to suspect anything and we were caught in a force field that was tied to our vital signs.”

Jesus fucking Christ, no wonder they were beating around the damn bush. It was like seeing the inevitable come crashing towards him. The second those last few words left Jaal’s mouth, Scott suddenly didn’t want him to keep speaking, to confirm the horrible thought that was pinging around in his head again.

“SAM stopped her heart.” Liam’s quiet voice turned that horrible thought into a roar in his mind. “He did get it restarted but Sanaa technically died again.”

“Fifteen seconds.” The flat tone of Jaal’s was thick, as if he was trying to compose himself. “And then she got up and asked why we were just hanging around.”

Liam’s snort would have been in perfect sync with Scott’s if he could have done it. That was so like Sanaa, huge thing happens, but hey, no big deal. At least until later when she felt it was safe enough to process it. At least now, when she finally came around to talk to him and tell him about this, he wouldn’t lose his shit.

“Scott Ryder,” Jaal sounded earnest now, the chair scraping as he shifted in it. “Please know and understand that I will do everything in my power to keep her safe. Not simply because she is the Pathfinder and has come to mean much to my people, but because she is a dear one and to lose her… it is not something I wish to contemplate.”

“We’ve got her back. You better believe one of us is going to be with her all the time.” 

The resoluteness in Liam’s voice was a perfect mirror to Jaal’s and Scott couldn’t help but wonder more about Jaal’s tone. Hell, he couldn’t help but wonder about a lot of things now. Like how the hell was SAM able to stop Sanaa’s heart, weren’t there safeguards to stop that sort of shit? And maybe it was all in his head, but the way Jaal spoke about Sanaa… he sort of got the impression she and Liam had a thing. Or maybe it was actually her and Jaal? Shit, being stuck in this damn bed was not helpful in the slightest.

And Scott could have howled in frustration as he heard the sure clip of Dr Carlyle’s steps.

“Liam, you know it’s not visiting hours,” Carlyle’s voice chided gently. The was a pause and then, “What happened?”

There was an explosive sigh, “I’ll let Lexi fill you in doc. It’s…”

“Something.” Jaal stated firmly.

A beat of silence and then, “Well, that sounds ominous. I’ll check in with Lexi. But for now, it’s nearly 4 am. And judging from your faces, you both need a good night’s sleep. Just come right from the Tempest?”

He hadn’t thought it possible, but Scott could feel the ‘guilty as charged’ in the silence. 

“See Jaal, this is where you don’t argue with the doctor and just get the hell out of dodge.”

“Ah, there is some wisdom in your species,” the footsteps started walking away as Jaal murmured, “What is dodge?”

Dr Carlyle made a thoughtful sound before walking off, probably to go call Lexi and see just what had happened on the mission. Scott was stuck lying here, wondering just what to even do. After a moment, he thought,

_“SAM?”_

_“Yes Scott?”_ SAM's smooth intonation was as clear as day.

_“We need to have a little chat.”_


	13. Idiomatic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 18: You should have seen it.
> 
> Takes place en route to Kadara in Govorkam. Small potential spoilers for 'The Last Song'.

Ryder was surprisingly chatty once she warmed up to him. She seemed surer now of herself and of her command. Taking down the kett exaltation base on Voeld was her turning point. Any doubts, any hesitations she became very good at keeping to herself. The face she now presented to the Initiative was one of cool confidence. 

On the ship, far away from the prying eyes, it dropped and she was more smiles and laughter. Sometimes, if Jaal caught her on one of her “midnight strolls” as she called them, he could coax stories out of her.

She had plenty of them about Earth. 

It was nice to sit in the tech lab and talk while having a cup of something to drink. The conversations were sometimes long and Jaal learned that in some ways, some things were truly universal.

“…Scott just took a running dive right off the cliff. I thought Mom was gonna have a heart attack.”

Such as foolhardy escapades in youth. Because taking a running dive off what sounded like an impossibly high cliff did sound like Scott was courting death.

“But he just shot down like an arrow, disappeared into the water. Surfaced a few meters downstream with the biggest grin. Man, you should have seen it, the strip Mom tore off him…”

Jaal paused as Ryder shook her head with a chuckle, letting his translator process for a moment. “She took his hide?”

“No no, it’s an euphemism, an idiom. Means you’re very angry and you usually heap on the criticism because someone did something incredibly stupid.”

“Ah, _gosanj_ ,” that explanation made more sense. “I can see why your mother would be angered.”

“Okay, now I think my translator is doing something weird. ‘Anchor grip?” Ryder looks perplexed. “That’s not the same as _gosan yav daar_?”

“ _Gosan yav daar_ means someone is stubborn, but will listen to counsel. _Gosanj_ means a foolhardy sort of of stubborn that will do as it wants.”

“Is there a word for the kind of stubborn that takes advisement and decides to still do it?”

“I believe you refer to them as idiot.” Jaal mused with a smile.

Ryder’s laugh is always a changing thing. Sometimes it could be dry and bitter, usually after dealing with her superiors back on the Nexus. In the quiet of night, when she was with Liam, it was entirely different: warm and loving, it made Jaal feel like he was hearing something he should not, but wanted more of. When it was them talking like this in the quiet of the night, he heard this laughter the most frequently, bright and warm from genuine amusement.

“Your language has many strange sayings.”

“We don’t have anything about anchor grip.”

Jaal made a considering sound. “You have the daschunds.” 

There came that laugh from Ryder again. “Just…” she broke down into a fit of giggles. “The look on your face was priceless. Like you didn’t know if your translator actually broke or if Liam had lost it.” She giggled a bit. “But that’s not actually an expression. Pretty sure he just said to yank your chain.”

“Yank my chain?”

“Yeah. Hm,” Ryder tapped her fingers against her cup, pausing for a moment before proclaiming, “ _Harsov raba_.”

“Ah,” that made sense now. “Well done, Ryder.”

A grin came to her face. “You know, I was wondering about that. ‘Fishing for lights’. Is that a reference to the yevara?”

Jaal nodded. “Before the kett, we never hunted the yevara. _Harsov raba_ should never had been literal.”

He wouldn’t have ever thought that someone would try to hunt down what precious little of angaran history was still around. Lekaaret had said they were all foolish, for clinging to the past so, but Ryder had taken a much different view and openly threatened the scientist.

“I wish to thank you for your decision. In the cave,” he clarified when Ryder furrowed her brow in confusion. “With the yevara.”

“Oh.” Ryder made a small sound of understanding as she nodded her head. “It always easy for some to justify the cost of other things in times of war. Hell, even when it’s not.”

“There is more to your words that you’re not telling me.” Jaal could see it in her thoughtful expression.

“Humans did the same thing on our planet back in the Milky Way. Hundreds of species didn’t survive. The yevara have a chance, why should they possibly be driven to extinction? I mean, what will the angara have left once the kett are defeated? It starts with one thing and then the atrocities happen before you realise it.” 

Some times, Ryder truly surprised him with the insightful things she said. Not to mention how she was talking. That the kett would be defeated. That the angara would have a future beyond their guerrilla war with the kett. But it wasn’t the dangerous sort of optimism that was foolish and bright-eyed, willfully ignorant to facts. Hers was a more practical sort, that fit right in with the Resistance and Evfra’s mentality.

“I had my doubts about your arrival here,” Jaal could feel her gaze on him, waiting for the rest. “But after working with you, fighting by your side, I have no more doubts and fear.”

“Aw, you do like me.” She nudged him with her shoulder. “I like you too Jaal. Very glad you decided to not shoot me.”

Now he was the one laughing and her smile grew wider, went all the way to her eyes. It warmed his heart and he suddenly found himself asking,

“Are you hungry? I was going to get a nutrient paste packet from the galley.”

“Hm…” Ryder mused for a moment. “I could go for some Blastohs. Shall we take the short or long way?”

In all honesty, Jaal wasn’t quite ready for the conversation to end yet. “The long way, if you please Ryder.”

She smiled and stood up, though she did pause. “You never use my name. You can call me Sanaa, you know.”

For a moment, Jaal wasn’t too sure what to say. “Have… I offended you somehow?”

“No, just everyone calls me Ryder and honestly,” she gave a loose shrug. “Remember how you told me how you have a famous last name? I sort of have an infamous one. I still have the lingering feeling that people actually mean my dad and not me.”

Jaal nodded in understanding. “Would you prefer for me to address you by your first name?”

“Please?”

“As you wish, Sanaa,” he was quiet for a moment as they walked out of the tech lab. “Your name sounds quite angaran, actually.”

“It does, doesn’t it?”

“Mmhm. So, Liam has his daschunds. What is the strangest expression you have ever heard?”

Sanaa is thoughtful for a moment, and it’s only when the lift reaches the cargo hold that she finally speaks again.

“Well, I wouldn’t say it’s strange, but my _awoowe_ would always tell me that for my dad, the sky is far and the earth too.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

“It means when you need help, but you can’t get help or support from anywhere.”

“And _awoowe_ is?” Jaal tried his best to say the syllables.

“Oh, means grandfather.” Sanaa shook her head with a gentle huff. “Yeah, my dad and _awoowe_ did not get along,l I only met him twice in my life before he died. Pretty sure Scott gets his stubborness from our dad.”

“That sounds terrible,” Jaal paused, seeing a sad look come to her face. “Perhaps humans should rethink this whole ‘small family’ idea?”

“Are you kidding?” Sanaa chuckled. “My parents went to the hospital to have one kid and came home with two! Confused everyone.”

“There is most definitely a story there.” It was much better to see the smile on her face.

“Yeah, definitely. I’ll tell you after the nutrient paste.”

“Are you not having Blastohs?”

“Eh,” Sanaa shrugged. “When in Rome…”

“I despair with your language sometimes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _harsov raba_ \- to trick someone into doing some silly; can also mean to pull a prank on someone, depending on context


	14. Gambit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 19: Oh please, like this is the worst I've done
> 
> Takes place a few days after Peebee: A Mysterious Remnant Signal

“Oh please, like this is the worst I’ve done.”

Lexi was not going to take that bait. It had taken enough wrangling and chasing to get Peebee into the medbay. Apparently, Peebee figured that a fractured wrist was fine if splinted and enough medigel applied. 

It had not been fun to explain that it had been set wrong and Lexi basically had to rebreak the bone to see that it was healed correctly. Why did people suddenly think they had a medical degree when they were seriously injured?

So there sat Peebee, waiting for the knitter to do it’s thing. Asari bone always took way too long, what with the density and calcification, so Lexi wasn’t too sure how to fill the three hours that Peebee was here for. At least the casting could be printed on quickly to give the bone time to set properly. But still, a multiple fracture break…

“You still don’t want to tell me how you broke your arm?” Lexi tried again.

“Nope.” Peebee shrugged, wincing a bit. “Not relevant anyhow.”

Lexi sighed as she shook her head. Peebee may not want to tell her, but broken bones said alot. Well, unless they were from Drack.

“All right then. But as your doctor, I must strongly advise you against any number of activities then. Especially anything involving the use of biotics and falling from severe heights.”

There was only one way to describe the silence that was coming from Peebee and that was stunned. Those green eyes were watching her carefully as she ventured out with,

“So… how do you know I fell from great heights. Maybe I just fell off the Tempest. Harvarl isn’t exactly a soft comfy bed to land on you know.”

“I tell you that and then I’ll have to drag you in kicking and screaming again,” Lexi shook her head. “But I can tell.”

Peebee’s silence turned petulant, but Lexi was sticking to her guns. Three multiple fractures said that something heavy had landed on top of her limb, but the presence of bruising but nothing major told her it was something heavy but not dangerously so, most likely Peebee’s own body. Add in the lingering traces of eezo that were present in the glands and nervous clusters throughout the broken arm and Lexi could only surmise that Peebee fell from a great height and tried to break her fall with biotics. 

Unsuccessfully so.

“Look, is this thing going to be much long? I got things to do, experiments running.”

“You’re still here for three hours Pelessaria! It hasn’t magically changed from when you asked me five minutes ago.” The frustrated sigh Peebee gave did have Lexi relenting a bit. “Did you want something to read in the meantime? Can someone help you with your experiments?”

Ten minutes later, there was Jaal listening intently as Peebee gave rapidfire instructions and a strict admonition to, ‘not do anything else or else’ because she didn’t want to be held responsible. One part of Lexi worried, that maybe Ryder should be made aware, but doctor-patient confidentiality and all that. 

Besides, nothing would quite top the time when Peebee, Ryder and Liam had come back from a volcanically active planet with Peebee’s ex in tow. Ryder had been furious, Liam wondering how he was the responsible one and Peebee doing her utmost best to ignore Kalinda who was trying to peer in past the airlock.

Jaal didn’t seem too worried, so Lexi decided to follow suit. She settled down to read, vaguely noticing when Jaal strode out and sure enough, there came Peebee’s heavy sigh. For a moment, Lexi considered just ignoring it and continuing with her reading. But a bored Peebee was bound to keep asking questions and definitely interrupting her.

“Do you perhaps like games?” Lexi tried, as she turned to face the other asari.

“Got Fire-Breathing Thresher Maws?”

“I don’t. I prefer games that don’t potentially cause third degree burns,” Lexi paused, thinking. “Perhaps _al’gasarn_?”

“Ugh, asari chess is so fiddly,” Peebee rolled her eyes. “How about regular old human chess?”

“I’ve played it enough. Would you like to play a game or three?”

“Or three?” Peebee laughed. “Someone’s very sure of themselves.”

“Likewise.” Lexi said as she came over, pulling up a holographic board. “Would you like the opening move?”

“Sure, why not. This oughta be interesting.”

Lexi just made a vague sound of agreement, watching the board as they started. She knew she was a little bit of a conservative player, but Peebee was already keeping her on her toes and making her think outside the box. Just when she thought she had an opening or a chance to strike, Peebee always managed to flip it or squeak through. Either Peebee was a good as she boasted or it was some incredibly dumb luck.

The most frustrating part was the longer they played, it really didn’t clear it up for Lexi. Granted, a lot of this game so far involved lots of staring at the board and some thoughtful noises with small bouts of actual playing. 

“You know,” Peebee mused, breaking the silence after what felt like forever. “Surprised you're not trying to get inside my head.”

“Why would I? You’ve very clearly stated that you don’t want me to, and I do quote, ‘do the shrink thing’.” Lexi paused to glance at her. “I’m really not your enemy Peebee, I just want to make sure everyone is okay. That’s it.”

“So you didn’t shrink Ryder into picking Kosta?”

For a moment, all Lexi could do was stare at Peebee, mind struggling to wonder where on Earth that had even come from and to not, absolutely not, ask Peebee why she felt like that.

“Ryder can make her own decisions. And you seem to forget about a little thing called doctor-patient confidentiality.”

Peebee made a thoughtful sound, letting the silence fall back into place. A few more moves were made and then,

“I mean, what does he have that I don’t? I mean, besides hair and you know… extra bits.”

Lexi choked on a laugh as Peebee gestured to her crotch. When she looked at Peebee there was a frustrated look on her face and Lexi found herself asking,

“Peebee, really if you want a second opinion—”

“No, I don’t!” she hastily said. There was a few seconds of awkward silence before she finally sighed. “Okay, maybe I do.”

“That’s all right Peebee,” Lexi glanced up at the ceiling. “SAM, engage privacy mode.” There was an acknowledging beep and then quiet again. “Anything said between us is strictly confidential.”

“When I’m trapped with no way out?”

“Well,” Lexi glanced at the knitter, surprised as how much time had passed. “You actually only have about twenty minutes left, so you can make this as quick as you like.”

“Seriously?”

“Mmhm,” Lexi nodded. “I’m really not trying to pressure you Peebee.”

Peebee chewed on her lip for a moment before she gave a half-hearted shrug. “I know I’m not the easiest person to live with,” she gave Lexi a guarded look but when she only received a nod, continued on with, “But it was so easy being with Ryder, like I was just myself and she liked me.”

“She does still like you. I think it was very obvious when you all came back from that planet how much she was worried about you.”

“She was pissed at me.”

“Do you think that may be you expecting that from her? When you arrived on the planet, was she?”

“You have no idea how much.”

“And when you came back?”

“Still super angry.”

“At you or at what happened down on the planet?”

Peebee opened her mouth before she closed it, brow furrowed in thought. “Kalinda, I think.”

“Can you think of anything that she would be mad at Kalinda for?”

That got a laugh from Peebee before she fell quiet. Lexi was more than willing to wait. Peebee was studying the board, fiddling with one of her few remaining pawns as her mind worked. 

“I think she was pissed at Kalinda and how I was treated.” Peebee was quiet. “Liam too I think. He’s been treating me differently since we got back.”

“How so?”

“More patient with me,” Peebee shrugged. “It’s been kind of nice. I helped him with some jetpack mods.”

“So whatever happened on the planet, do you think it’s safe to say that perhaps you can’t entirely discredit the fact that Ryder does still care for you? It may not be as you’d like it to be, but it’s still something, nonetheless?”

Peebee was quiet for a long moment and then, “Aw man, we’re on completely different stages, aren’t we?”

“Ah…” Lexi was officially lost at what Peebee was getting at.

“You know, the six stages!” Peebee raised a flat hand. “This is where me and Ryder are, level two, really good friends,” her hand raised up much higher. “And this is where she is with Kosta now, right there around five, with deep emotional attachments and physical intimacy.”

All Lexi could do was stare because how in the Goddess’ name had Peebee gone from trying to figure out what happened on the planet to jumping to the theoretical knowledge of the six stages of asari love?

“I would say that’s it, in a nutshell.”

“Hm.” Peebee settled into thought for a moment before sighing. “Would have been nice.”

“Wait, I’m sorry, are you saying that you’re over it?”

“Well, not over it over it, I mean, c’mon, it’s Ryder. But I also know that I can’t compete against that with her and Kosta. So, I’ll get over it. Besides, she gives me enough shiny tech and I’m pretty sure if Kalinda looks at me wrong, Ryder might rip her crest off.”

“Right,” Lexi said slowly. Bringing up her tryst with Ryder was not going to be helpful now. “Have I helped you a little bit?”

“Oh yeah, loads… surprisingly.” Peebee mused. “And look, seconds left, I can be free in—”

“No, not free, you need a cast still!” Lexi exclaimed as she scrambled to program the machine.

“Aw, c’mon doc, just let me go, it’s fine!”

“And when you accidentally injure yourself before it’s healed up?” Lexi quickly punched in some buttons. “You’re getting a cast.”

Peebee scowled as the knitter finished it’s task and the hum of the cast printing started up. “Just when I thought you were cool.”

“Well how else was I going to keep you here to finish this game?” Lexi teased as she took her seat again. “We’ll just play until your cast is done and then you’re free to go.”

“Until I need to come back to get the cast off.”

“… I may have programmed it with a set time to degrade. It’ll dissolve off in the shower when the healing period is done.”

“Oh,” that did seem to improve her mood. Peebee studied the chess board. “I guess we can finish this game.”

“I’d like that. You’re a very good player. I haven’t been this challenged in a long while.”

“Same here,” Peebee glanced at Lexi. “Maybe we can play another game next week?”

“If you like.” Lexi tried to not sound surprised by this. “And it won’t be in the infirmary. Wherever you like.”

“Really?” Peebee sounded excited.

“They are portable, you know.” Lexi chuckled, tapping the board.

“Zero gee chess!”


End file.
